Category: Czech Republic

Clifford Chance has advised CTP on the EUR 100 million club financing of the Vlnena campus in Brno with main arranger, agent, and security agent Komercni Banka and second mandated lead arranger UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia. White & Case advised the banks.

Vlnena is an office, retail, and lifestyle campus in Brno.

CTP is Europe’s largest listed owner, developer, and manager of logistics and industrial real estate by gross leasable area, according to Clifford Chance.

The Clifford Chance team included Partner Milos Felgr and Junior Lawyer Sara Bartlova.

The White & Case team included Partners Jan Linda and Vaclav Kubr, Local Partner Radek Kraus, and Associates Kamila Dankova, Lucie Zanaskova, and Magdalena Lajdova.

BBH has advised the Kaprain Group on its acquisition of Trelleborg Bohemia from Trelleborg.

The Kaprain Group is a Czech Republic-based investment group founded by Karel Prazak. 

Trelleborg Bohemia is a Czech Republic-based automotive component company.

According to BBH, the acquisition will “enable Kaprain Rubber to expand its scope into the automotive industry.”

The BBH team included Partners Petr Precechtel and Andrea Adamcova and Senior Lawyer Dominik Liska.

BBH did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.

Former Of Counsel Lucie Kalasova has been promoted to a Partner position with BPV Braun Partners in Prague.

Kalasova has been with the firm since 2007, having joined as an Associate. She was promoted to Senior Associate in 2010 and became an Of Counsel in 2017.

“With our joint journey since 2007, Lucie’s specialization in labor law, personal data protection, and whistleblowing brings a wealth of expertise to our team,” BPV Braun Partners announced.

Kinstellar has advised the Genesis Private Equity Fund III on the sale of Sanborn to the Oriens industrial group. GT Legal advised Oriens.

According to GT Legal, Sanborn, a joint-stock company located near Brno, specializes in the production and distribution of “critical components crafted from special steel alloys, catering primarily to leading generator and turbine manufacturers, as well as other entities in the transport and energy sectors.”

The company’s key clients include international industrial conglomerates such as GE, Siemens, Wabtec, Technip FMC, and OneSubsea, Kinstellar reported.

The financing for the transaction was facilitated by Ceska Sporitelna (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on December 6, 2023).

The Kinstellar team included Partner Jan Juroska, Managing Associate Michal Kniz, and Associate Denisa Simanska.

The GT Legal team included Founding Partner Lukas Zahradka, Senior Associate David Fabian, and Junior Associate Jan Nespor.

Allen & Overy has advised Grupa Maspex on its acquisition of Becherovka from Pernod Ricard. Havel & Partners advised Pernod Ricard.

The transaction remains contingent on regulatory approval.

Grupa Maspex is a Poland-based food company. According to Allen & Overy, the acquisition included the “production and logistics facilities in Karlovy Vary. Becherovka is a legendary herbal liqueur and the oldest alcohol brand in the Czech Republic.”

According to Havel & Partners, in addition to producing its “iconic liqueur with more than 200 years of tradition […] Karlovarska Becherovka is also one of the distributors of more than 40 other premium alcohol brands on the Czech market.”

The Allen & Overy team included Warsaw-based Partners Jaroslaw Iwanicki and Marta Sendrowicz, Senior Associates Joanna Kaleta-Szykut and Olga Wisniewska-Lukasiuk, and Associates Jan Spierzak, Mateusz Kwolek, and Jacek Mainardi; Prague-based Senior Associates Jakub Cech and Ivana Halamova Dobiskova and Junior Lawyer Jan Spousta; as well as further team members in France and Germany.

The Havel & Partners team included Partners Vaclav Audes and Ondrej Florian, Senior Associates Ivo Skolil and Radek Riedl, and Associates Ema Cerna, Katerina Trzaska, Vaclav Fajkus, and Jan Krejci.

CMS has advised Touzimsky Airlines on the sale of its shareholding in Kiwi.com to General Atlantic. Weil Gotshal & Manges reportedly advised General Atlantic.

Touzimsky Airlines is a Czech holding company.

Kiwi is an online travel agency.

General Atlantic is an American growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for companies.

The CMS team included Prague and Bratislava Managing Partner Helen Rodwell, Senior Counsel David Cranfield, Associate Pavel Kocian, and Lawyer Huyen Vu Novotna.

White & Case has advised CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of the Packeta Group, alongside co-investor Emma Capital. Havel & Partners advised JSK Investments and its shareholders, Simona and Jaromir Kijonka, on the sale of Packeta.

CVC is a private equity and investment advisory firm with a network of 29 offices throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the US, with approximately USD 177 billion in assets under management.

Packeta is the parent company of local technology and logistics company Zasilkovna and is a Czech Republic-headquartered e-commerce logistics and out-of-home delivery player with delivery networks in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It has more than 9,000 third-party pick-up and drop-off points and more than 6,000 automatic parcel machines, providing e-commerce delivery solutions to a customer base of more than 45,000 retailers, as well as straight-to-consumer home delivery services.

The White & Case team included Prague-based Partners Jan Andrusko and Jan Stejskal, Local Partner Jan Jakoubek, and Associates Iva Cechrakova, Monika Sedlackova, and Lukas Pavlik as well as further team members in Abu Dhabi, London, and New York.

The Havel & Partners team included Partners Vaclav Audes, Jiri Kunasek, Robert Neruda, and Jan Sturm, Managing Associates Silvie Kiraly and Martin Simek, Associates Katerina Kabatova, Jan Palacky, and Martin Rott, and Junior Associates Johana Nemeckova and Jan Mozol.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, CMS announced it had advised the Packeta Group. The firm’s team included Prague-based Partner Helen Rodwell and Associate Stepan Havranek, Bratislava-based Partner Juraj Fuska and Associate Martin Balaz, Warsaw-based Partner Blazej Zagorski, and Bucharest-based Managing Partner Horea Popescu.

PRK Partners has advised Bezvavlasy on the acquisition of the Hair Servis group. Kinstellar advised the sellers.

Bezvavlasy is the second-largest seller of hair products in the Czech Republic.

The Hair Servis group is a distributor of hair product brands.

PRK Partners team included Partner Martin Kriz, Associate Partner Tomas Bures, and Senior Attorneys Martina Javorova and Jan Ditrych.

The Kinstellar team included Partner Kamil Blazek, Counsel Martina Brezinova, Senior Associate Matej Vecera, and Junior Associate Paul Valka.

Kocian Solc Balastik has advised on the establishment of two endowment funds in the Czech Republic: Eva Pavlova’s Endowment Fund and Vaclav Cigler’s Endowment Fund.

According to KSB, “while Czech First Lady Eva Pavlova’s Endowment Fund is focused on philanthropic projects which support families, Vaclav Cigler’s Endowment Fund is primarily dedicated to the artistic legacy of Vaclav Cigler, one of the most significant contemporary Czech sculptors and architects.”

The KSB team included Partner Vlastimil Pihera, Counsel Hana Heroldova, and Lawyers Jana Guricova and Milada Kurtosiova.

Former Eversheds Sutherland Counsel Ondrej Benes has joined Wolf Theiss as a Counsel and Head of the firm’s Employment team in Prague.

Before joining Wolf Theiss, Benes spent five years with Eversheds Sutherland and a year and a half with its legacy firm Dvorak Hager & Partners. Earlier, he spent five years with Hajel Zrzavecky and, earlier still, a year and a half with Neubauer & Partner.

“We are delighted to welcome Ondrej Benes to our team in Prague,”  Wolf Theiss Prague Managing Partner Jitka Logesova said. “His proven track record and strategic insights will undoubtedly enhance our capabilities in delivering top-notch legal services to our clients.”

“I am thrilled to join the Wolf Theiss employment team in Prague,” Benes added. “My focus will be on tailoring legal solutions to empower our local and international clients, ensuring their success in the ever-evolving employment landscape.”